


Family

by shifty_cat



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Makoto Niijima Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shifty_cat/pseuds/shifty_cat
Summary: Makoto and Akira bring Futaba to meet the Kurusus for a long weekend.Makoto Niijima Week day 2: Holiday/New Friendships
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kitsune | Fox/Morgana (Persona Series), Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 15
Kudos: 43
Collections: Makoto Niijima Week





	1. Plans

Sae Niijima had very good reason to keep a tight rein on her emotions. Most of her emotions, at any rate. While her intimidating anger, properly channeled, could be a useful tool in obtaining a confession, things like sadness, regret, and vulnerability were unproductive in her line of work, signs of weakness she couldn't afford to have. It was hard enough getting her colleagues to respect her without them snickering about 'emotional females' behind her back if she so much as shed a tear for a horribly butchered child at a crime scene.

Given that, it would be hard to read anything in her expression beyond 'displeased' as she glared halfheartedly at her phone, sitting at the bar in Leblanc.

Sae: We should do something together for the long weekend. Perhaps take a spa trip.

Makoto: Sorry, Sis, Akira and I already made plans to visit his family in Inaba. Futaba wants to meet his parents, and Morgana hasn't seen the Fox since they started dating.

Sojiro set her coffee down in front of her with a nonchalant shrug. "They took the van out this morning."

Sae set her phone on the bar and leaned back in her seat with a groan, rubbing her temples. Since recovering from her distortion, she had made efforts to reconnect with Makoto, but while her sister was noticeably happier, she was also far less present. During the semester she was living in the dorms, and spent most of her time outside of class either studying (which Sae approved of) or with Akira (which she tolerated). 

In her absence, Sae had come to realize just how much Makoto had done for her when she was there. Having gotten used to coming home to her sister's cooking, she now had to fend more or less for herself, and while Makoto was happy to teach her when she was around, the learning process was going... not smoothly, leading her to rely on takeout on nights when she was too tired to deal with the added stress of the kitchen.

The thin film of dust beginning to form on their... her now mostly empty apartment was yet another testament to the subtle, unacknowledged upkeep and maintenance her sister had done without complaint, and Sae recognized with considerable discomfort that she had devalued and derided her for doing exactly the type of housework that women were all too often expected to provide without compensation or thanks. If Akira had treated Makoto like that, Sae would have skinned him alive.

Sojiro put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, quickly drawing it back with a conciliatory gesture at her instinctual glare at being touched. "They're adults now, and they're beginning to make a life together for themselves."

Sae nodded with a resigned sigh and sipped her coffee. Rationally, she understood that Makoto was at an age where she was finding her own place in the world, exploring her independence and developing her social circles. It still felt like she was losing the only family she had left, and she had no one but herself to blame. Just when she had begun to appreciate how special Makoto was, she had left her for someone who gave her the love and respect she deserved, and that she had denied her for so long.

Her morose ruminations were interrupted by the jingle of the bell over Leblanc's door, and she glanced up to see a (very attractive) young woman in striking Punk attire enter the café. She gave Sojiro a casual wave, which he returned with a smile and nod as he turned to the shelves of beans. "Afternoon, Dr. Takemi. The usual?"

She nodded and took a seat with an affirmative hum, then turned to Sae with an appraising look, then a smile at once sympathetic and playful. "Overworked?"

Sae, realizing she might have been staring a little too intently at the newcomer, returned her attention to her coffee. "Always."

Sojiro turned to them as he began grinding beans, nodding in Sae's direction. "Tae, this is Sae Niijima. Ms. Niijima, this is Dr. Tae Takemi."

Tae's eyes lit up and she gave Sae a bright grin. "Oh, so you're the famous Big Sis I've heard so much about?"

Sae looked up from her coffee in surprise. "You know Makoto?"

Tae laughed with a shrug. "I should hope so, I've been her physician for months now."

Sae turned back to her coffee with an uncomfortable frown. "These days it seems like everyone knows her, except me."

Tae pursed her lips, contemplating. "Well, patient confidentiality means I can't exactly tell you much about her, but I think I know someone who can." She rummaged through her bag until she found a card, placing it on the bar and sliding it over to Sae. Sae examined it, finding it to be the name and address of a bar in Shinjuku. Tae gave her a friendly smile. "I have a few more patients scheduled, but if you'd like to meet me here at five, we can head over to Crossroads together."

Sae was conflicted, to say the least, about Makoto tending bar in the Red Light District, but both she and Akira assured her that the operation was entirely above board. Well, perhaps she should take the opportunity to see for herself. She slid the card back to Tae with a nod. "Very well, then. At five, sharp."

She finished her coffee, stood and gave Sojiro and Tae a curt nod farewell, and strode out of the café. Tae watched her leave, then turned to Sojiro with a grin. "She's cute."

Sojiro shook his head with a chuckle as he pulled out a cloth to wipe down the bar. "I suppose, if you've got nerves of steel."

"Are we theeeeere yeeeet?"

Makoto's eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced up at Futaba, staring expectantly at her in the rearview mirror. "Futaba, I know you have your GPS out. You know exactly where we are and where we're going."

Futaba slumped back in her seat with an exaggerated huff. "Yeah, but I'm boooored. There's no wifi out here, and Mona's been asleep for like an hour."

Makoto rolled her eyes with a sigh. "It will be about another hour until we get to Inaba, so get comfortable." She glanced over at Akira in the passenger seat. "Can you keep her occupied?"

Akira nodded and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, then climbed gracefully between the seats to plop down between Futaba and the sleeping Morgana. He reached back into his bag behind the seats, pulling out his old reurbished laptop. "I think I still have some emulators on here. Wanna play some Saga of Zoldo?"

Futaba tilted her head, weighing the comparative entertainment value of saving Tallaw or pestering Makoto, then shrugged. "A Connection to the Bygone? I gueeeess."

Akira fired up the Super Famidrive emulator and handed the laptop off to Futaba, then gave Makoto a smile in the rearview. Their eyes met for a moment, and she blew him a kiss and mouthed a silent "Thank you."

Late afternoon, the four of the arrived at the Kurusu Home, and as they pulled into the drive, Akemi popped her head out the door with an excited wave. She scurried over as they got out of the van and pulled Akira and Makoto each into a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Futaba flinched at the prospect of a similar greeting, but Akemi gave her an understanding smile and held out a hand. "It's wonderful to see you in person, Futaba. My Akira is tremendously proud of his little sister."

Futaba shook her hand with an appreciative grin, then Akemi turned to help them bring in their things. In the living room, the Inaba Crew (minus Naoto, who was presumably on a case) sat waiting for them on the Kurusus' big comfortable couch, with Chie and Yukiko seated close together on one side and Kanji petting the Fox on the other. Chie immediately sprung up and rushed over to tackle them with a bear hug, leaving Yukiko practically wheezing with laughter at her excitement. The Fox similarly bounded from the couch, circling Futaba's feet until she put down Morgana for her to nuzzle his neck.

When they had said their greetings and rearranged their seating, with Makoto and Akira sharing one of the large armchairs while Morgana occupied Kanji's lap and the Fox Futaba's (with whom she felt a certain special kinship) on the couch, their vulpine companion began to dance her front paws with supernatural grace on her slightly scratched tablet, a low, soft, warm voice coming from its speakers. "It is good to see you again, Lord Akira, Lady Makoto. Your timing is fortuitous. Tonight is the night of my birth, and I wish to invite all of you to the shrine to celebrate with my family."


	2. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to teach Futaba how to cook rice.

Sae didn't care much for fashion, which she generally considered to be a frivolous waste of time that could be more productively spent poring through case files or taking out her frustrations on a heavy bag. The extent of her concern with her appearance was ensuring that she always looked serious and professional (and intimidating enough to dissuade her colleagues from unwanted attention). She had a serious and professional tailor who fitted her for serious and professional suits in a wide range of serious and professional greys and blacks. Other than a few sweatsuits (also grey) that did double duty as workout gear and sleepwear, her collection of power suits made up the bulk of her wardrobe. Casual wear was as absent from her closet as the concept of being casual was from her life in general.

When she arrived back at Leblanc at five (sharp), she found Dr. Takemi already there, casually sipping a coffee as she awaited her, having swapped out what apparently served as her professional attire for a short blue dress, a cropped leather jacket, and torn black leggings. At the sound of the bell, she glanced up and gave Sae a playful smirk. "Lala-chan's gonna think you're the health inspector."

Momentarily taken aback, Sae narrowed her eyes in an accusatory glare. "Would that be a _problem_?"

Tae shook her head with a chuckle. "Relax, I'm kidding. You look fine, and plenty of people come in right off work in suits. You won't stand out any more than you want."

Sae was not used to being kidded. Between her coworkers, who generally saw her as a single-minded workaholic, and suspects, who considered her terrifying, attempting to joke with with her was rare. Akechi had tried at times, but his smug, self-satisfied sense of humor was utterly unimpressive. To her recollection, Kurusu was the only one who managed, despite his own pain during his interrogation, to inject any degree of actual levity into conversation with her. Dr. Takemi seemed to possess a similarly playful streak, and she could see why the two were evidently friendly. As with Kurusu, she found it mildly infuriating. Unlike with Kurusu, she also found it strangely attractive. 

Clearing her throat to mask the unfamiliar feeling of being flustered, she nodded toward the door. "Well then, if you're ready..."

Tae nodded and finished her coffee, stood and slung her bag over her shoulder, and sauntered over to Sae at the door with a grin. "If you are."

_Thwak. Sliiik. Thwak. Sliiik._

Futaba watched, with a blend of awe and revulsion, as Mrs. Kurusu filleted saba with deft, practiced motions. Skinning and deboning fish was slightly less nauseating than what Akira and Makoto were up to, somehow managing to work on sides with him standing behind her, chin on her shoulder and arms reaching around her waist like a dorky, four-armed cuteness golem (the Kurusu home was clearly a space they felt more comfortable being openly affectionate). Kanji was helping out with a bit of the prep work, but Chie and Yukiko insisted, with apologetic frowns, that after having spent years trying, they were both incapable of producing anything edible, and instead were keeping Mona and the Fox (who, lacking opposable thumbs, couldn't help much) company on the couch.

Mrs. Kurusu glanced up from the plate of fillets and gave Futaba a bright smile. "Do you cook, Futaba?"

Futaba shrugged with a noncommital hum. "Well, umm... yes, but actually no, unless instant noodles count. Sojiro tried to teach me to make curry, but it went, um... bad."

Mrs. Kurusu rolled her eyes with a chuckle as she wiped her hands clean. "Soji's curry might be a bit advanced to start out with. I was honestly surprised Akira mastered it so quickly, and he's been cooking with me for years. Maybe we should try something a little simpler. How about the rice? That isn't much harder than instant noodles, and it's a useful skill to have, especially as a broke college student." She winked at Makoto and Akira.

Futaba grimaced, recalling her disastrous attempt at making monjayaki with Yusuke. "Ehh... I dunno, I think my brain might just not work on food..."

Mrs. Kurusu gave her a sympathetic smile. "How about we give it a try before dismissing yourself entirely? Sometimes it just takes the right mindset for things to click."

Futaba sighed and nodded. "Okaaaaay..."

Mrs. Kurusu giggled and gave her a bright grin. "Wonderful. Now, first off, rice is hygroscopic, which means..."

Futaba took a moment to parse the term. "It absorbs moisture?"

Mrs. Kurusu gave her an approving nod. "Right. Dry rice will absorb water to expand to about three times its original volume, so we'll want about two parts water per part rice. Morgana is an obligate carnivore, but foxes and humans are omnivores, so that's you, me, Akira, Makoto, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Reo, and the Fox. Assuming a serving size of about one cup," "six cups water, three cups rice," Futaba instantly completed the simple word problem.

Mrs. Kurusu gave her an affirmative hum and handed her a cup to begin measuring out water as she pulled out a large pot from the cupboard. "Mhm. Now, we'll want to add a bit of salt as we boil the water. Do you know why?"

Futaba considered for a moment. "...Salt increases the boiling point of water, but lowers its specific heat, sooo... it'll heat up faster, and boil at a higher temperature."

Mrs. Kurusu gave her an impressed little clap. "Very good! Of course, to significantly change either variable would require much more salt than anyone would want to eat ("I _told_ you!" Chie loudly whispered to Yukiko in the other room). The main reason is that salt enhances the ability of the chemoreceptors in your tongue to detect flavors. In other words, it just tastes better."

As they waited for the pot to boil, Mrs. Kurusu tapped a finger to her chin. "Once we get it to a boil, we'll add the rice, which will be a fifty percent increase in volume," "so with a greater volume at the same energy, it'll stop boiling." Futaba completed her thought.

Mrs. Kurusu chuckled and gave her a pleased grin. "Right. So then we'll let it come back up to a boil, then let it simmer on low heat for about twenty minutes. Then we're done."

Extremely pleased with herself, Futaba threw up her hands. "Let there be rice!" Then she planted herself by the pot, watching intentely for it to begin boiling.

As Mrs. Kurusu left her to her own devices and walked over to check on Akira and Makoto's progress on the sides, Makoto whispered to her. "That was amazing, Akemi. I've been trying to get Futaba to let me teach her to cook for months."

Akemi smiled and tapped a finger to the side of her nose, whispering back. "The most important thing I've learned teaching is that you've got to talk to students in a way they engage with."

"You have quite the... interesting fashion sense, for a doctor."

Stopped in traffic in Sae's car on the way to Shinjuku, the elder Ms. Niijima glanced over at her companion. Tae laughed and shrugged. "Thanks, I think. It's a private clinic, so I make my own dress code, and it's not like I have any higher-ups to appease."

Sae raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to be impressed by her independence or concerned by her informality. "And you don't get complaints from your clients?"

Tae rolled her eyes with a dry chuckle. "I get the occasional jealous wife or girlfriend, but it's usually easy enough to convince them that I have exactly zero interest in their hubby as anything but a patient. I generally get more stares than complaints."

Sae frowned as she returned her attention to the cars still stopped in front of them. "And you're... comfortable with that?"

Tae laughed and shook her head. "I'm comfortable with _me_ , and I'm not about to change how I like to dress because some guys can't keep their eyes under control. As long as they do what I say and don't cause any trouble, everything's copacetic."

Sae's frown deepened with a frustrated grumble. "Quite the luxury..."

Tae turned to her with a sympathetic smile. "Hey, at least you rock that suit. I don't think I could pull it off, but it suits you... no pun intended. Very 'don't fuck with me, I'm a badass bitch' vibe. If that's who you gotta be, own it. Right?"

The traffic ahead of them began to crawl forward, and Sae's undivided focus on driving let her avoid giving an answer she didn't have. How much of who she was came down to who she had to be, and who would she be if she didn't have to be that woman? Once the Shido case was finished, she intended to quit her job at the SIU and open a private practice as a defense attorney, which would certainly afford her greater freedom. Who would she become? 

She couldn't see herself in Tae's punk dresses, particularly as she would still need to instill confidence in her professionalism in her clients, and appear before judges. Frankly, she would probably stick with her serious and professional suits, but with the difference that she would wear them because she _wanted_ to, rather than because she _had_ to. They still reflected who she was, and she might as well own it.


End file.
